Hall of Fame horseman Bob McIntosh is heading to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday evening with a trio of two-year-old pacing colts
hoping to earn enough Grassroots points to receive a return invitation to the Ottawa oval.
The top 16 point earners through the regular season will return to Rideau Carleton for a pair of Grassroots Semifinals on Oct. 23, with the top four from each Semifinal competing over the Rideau Carleton oval on Nov. 1 in the $100,000 Grassroots Championship. Through four regular season events, one of McIntosh's colts currently ranks among the top 16, one is just shy of the cut off, and one needs a solid finish in Ottawa to extend his freshman campaign beyond Oct. 12.
"He's a head scratcher," says McIntosh of Mcmaverick, who earned 12 points from a third-place finish in his first Grassroots start at Hiawatha Horse Park on Sept. 24. "He was one of my best colts coming out of the spring, after baby racing, but things just haven't worked out for him."
Mcmaverick started his season in the Gold Series, where he was a solid second in the July 12 season opener at Mohawk Racetrack, but a disappointing eighth in the $130,000 Gold Final one week later. Third in his second Gold Elimination attempt, the Western Maverick son finished seventh in the Aug. 16 final at Flamboro Downs. The youngster also failed to hit the board in three overnight contests at Mohawk, making a break on Sept. 6, so McIntosh dropped him into the Grassroots at Hiawatha.
"He was a bit of a heartbreaker," admits McIntosh, who bred and owns the colt in partnership with C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH. "When he baby raced Steve Condren thought he was the real deal."
Brad Forward will steer Mcmaverick from Post 7 in the seventh race on Thursday, taking on a field of nine that includes number two ranked Warrawee Lad from Post 2, and number five ranked Mister Russ from Post 9.
Leading the charge from the McIntosh stable is Good Bad Lucky, who was a 1:55.1 winner at Hiawatha Horse Park on Sept. 24. Like Mcmaverick, Good Bad Lucky started his season at the Gold Series level, where he recorded two fifth-place finishes in Gold Elimination action. The Camluck son's personal best 1:53.3 came in a July 19 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack.
"There are those colts that are ‘inbetweeners’, and he's one of them," says McIntosh of Good Bad Lucky. "Hopefully by next year he will be a Gold colt, but right now I would rather race him where he's very competitive. I think it's the best thing for the colt right now."
Forward will also step onto the race bike behind Good Bad Lucky on Thursday, steering the colt from Post 1 in the fifth race for owner-breeders McIntosh, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington and Dwight Stacey of Mitchell.
The other colt carrying the McIntosh colours into Thursday's Grassroots battle is Cool And Collected, who will receive Forward's guidance starting from Post 6 in the third race.
"He is a big, growthy colt. He's made it farther than I thought he would have made it," admits McIntosh. "He's a colt that could maybe be a bit of a surprise next year. This year we are kind of going through the growing pains."
Through five starts Cool And Collected has one win in a July 10 overnight at Flamboro Downs, where he stopped the clock in 1:58.2. In two Grassroots outings the Camluck son has logged one second and one fourth-place finish, for a total of 33 points, just 17 points shy of the current cut off for the top 16.
McIntosh, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington, and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH bred and own the full brother to $192,749 winner Cam Cool.
Post time for Rideau Carleton Raceway's Thursday evening program is 6:30 p.m., with the two-year-old pacing colts slated to compete in Races 3, 5, and 7.
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To view Thursday’s harness racing results, click here.